Valve for railroad-tanks



S. E. LONG. VALVE FOR RAILROAD TANKS.

(No Model.)

No. 566,592. Patented An zs, 1896.

I 'yf.

fizz ado)? dmlmllfjaiy 77? www W UNITED STATES ATENT rricn.

SAMUEL E. LONG, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

VALVE FOR RAILROAD-TAN KS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,592, dated August 25, 1896.

Application filed March 13, 1896. Serial No. 583,088. (No model.)

To (Lil whom may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. Lone, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful linprovements in Valves for Railroad-Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to valves for railroadtanks, and has for its object the provision of means for preventing the freezing of such valves.

The invention consists in a railroad-tank valve having a passage for the circulation of steam or hot water in the valve-casing to prevent the valve from becoming inoperative by freezing to its seat, and it is also within the purpose of my invention to so construct the valve-casing as to provide for spraying steam or hot water into the tank.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 represents a portion of a railway water-station, in part sectional elevation, showing the arrangement of my improved tank-valve and means for preventing its freezing. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical elevation through the bottom of the tank, the water-outlet pipe, and the casing of the tankvalve. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the tank valve casing with spraying attach ments. Fig. 4 is a partly-vertical section at a right angle to the view in Fig. 3.

Referringto Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral 5 designates an elevated water-tank, such as employed at railway water-stations, and 6 represents a pump-house with steampump 7 and boiler 8, as usual.

In the bottom 9 of the tank is an outlet 10, Fig. 2, communicating with awater-discharge pipe 11 leading to a counterbalanced shifting spout 12 of the ordinary kind used for supplying the tender of a locomotive with water.

Over the tank-outlet is arranged a tank valve casing 13, provided with. a through passage ].i, controlled by the usual hinged valve 15 and its suitable lever and tackle connections, which maybe arranged in a well-known manner, as indicated in Fig. 1. The valve 15 may have a rubber facing 16 and Babbittmetal seat 1'7, as usual.

In order to prevent freezing of the tankvalve 15 to its seat, there is provided in the valve-casing 13 a substantially circular passage 18 for circulation and radiation of a heating medium, such as steam or hot water. Steam is preferably employed when the watertank 5 is arranged to be kept supplied by the operation of a steam tank-feeder pump. In this case steam may be taken from the boiler 8 through a pipe 1 9, leading to the circulatingpassage 18 of the tank-valve casing. After circulating in the valve-casing passage 18, adjacent to the valve 15, the steam or hot water may be permitted to escape through an outlet-pipe for steam or hot water, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and a. A partition 21, Figs. 3 and 1, is provided in the circulating-passage 18, at a point between the pipes 19 and 20, to compel a circulation of the heating medium in and through the tank valve casing. By this means the tankvalve casing is maintained at such temperature as to avoid any liability of the tanlcvalve becoming inoperative from freezing.

\Vhere the Water-tank 5 is not provided with a steam-pump 7' and boiler 8 any other suitable source of steam or hotwater may be provided for supplying the tank-valve casing with a heating medium in cold or freezing Weather. For instance, the coil of an ordinary Baker heater may be connected with the pipes 19 and 20 that communicate with the tank-valve casing, or these pipes may be connected with a small boiler heated by any c0nvenient means.

The steam or hot-water supply pipe 19 is preferably provided with a hand-valve 22, Fig. 1, for controlling the supply of heating medium to the tank-valve casing, and the pipe 20 has a similar valve 23, Fig. 1, to control the exhaust.

As an additional means for obviating any liability to freezing of the tank-valve the valve-casing 13 may be tapped at convenient points for connection with short pipes 24., carrying at their outer ends spray-distribnters 25, Figs. 3 and i, which are located in the lower partof the water-tank 5 and adapted to deliver therein a portion, or the whole, of the exhaust from the circulating-passage of the tanlcvalve casing. In each of the pipes 24. is an ordinary check-valve 26, and by partly, or altogether, closing the valve 23 of the exhaustpipe 2O steam or hotwater from the circulating-passage 18 of the tank-valve casing 13 may be allowed to enter the watertank. It is preferable to only partly close the valve 23, thereby securing a more uniform distribution of heat throughout the tank-valve casing and yet permitting a portion of the heating medium to escape into the tank-water.

It is obvious that by the means provided for causing the circulation of a heating medium in the casing of the tank-valve the annoyances and delays resulting from the freezing of such valves at railway water-stations may be readily avoided.

WVhat I claim as my invention isl. The combination with a tank-valve having its casing provided with a passage for circulation of steam or hot water, to prevent freezing of the valve to its seat, of a spraydistributer leading from said circulating-passage of the valve-casing and projected within the tank to spray steam or hot water therein, and a check-valve for said spray-distributer, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the tank of a railway water-station, and its discharge or outlet valve having a casing provided with a passage for the circulation of steam or hot water around said valve to prevent freezing of the valve to'its seat, of a valved pipe for supplying steam or hot water to said circulatingpassage, a valved exhaust-pipe leading from said circulating-passage, and a spray-distributer located within the tank and communicating with said circulating-passage of the valve-casing to spray steam or hot water into the tank, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the elevated tank of a railway water-station, and its steam-supply pump and boiler, of a tank-outlet valve having its casing provided with a passage for the circulation of steam or hot water around said valve to prevent freezing of the valve to its seat, spray-distributers leading from said circulating-passage of the valve-casing for delivering hot water or steam into the tank, a pipe leading from the boiler to the said circulating-passage of the tank-valve casing and provided with a hand-valve to control the supply of steam. or hot water, and a valved exhaust-pipe leading from said circulatingpassage of the tank-valve casing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL E. LONG.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES L. NORRIS, Tnos. A. GREEN. 

